Star Wars Saga Edition Threats of the Galaxy
This book provides everything you need to populate your Star Wars games. Featuring complete statistics for dozens of Characters, Creatures and Droids, this book gives Gamemasters a quick reference guide that can be used to fill adventures with enemies, allies and bystanders drawn from the Star Wars films, novels, comics and computer games. Introduction Main Article: Introduction Part of the enduring appeal of Star Wars is the richness of the galaxy, the sense of wonder evoked by the countless worlds, the fantastic creatures, the compelling characters, and of course the Droids. There is a sense of something larger, that the Star Wars universe is a thriving place filled with endless possibility. The detail is astonishing- each character, place, and thing has a history, a purpose, and a role in the larger universe, and together, they create the backdrop on which the heroes' stories are told. Threats of the Galaxy is a companion volume to the Star Wars Saga Edition Roleplaying Game, offering an enormous selection of Characters, Creatures and Droids with which you can populate the galaxy. With entries drawn from nearly every era of the Star Wars universe and spanning every level of game play, this book is a comprehensive volume that gives you even more tools to create exciting and compelling encounters worthy of joining those on the silver screen. Characters Main Article: Characters This chapter presents a selection of character archetypes. From noble Jedi Masters to villainous Sith Lords, vicious Swoop Gang Leaders, loyal Soldiers, Traders, Medics, Elite Warriors, and more, all represent the people who shape the galaxy. You can use them as written or change them to fit your needs. Each entry presents one or more sets of generic statistics to give you a ready-to-run character. Also, the entries include guidance about how the characters fit into the larger universe as well as tips and advice for building encounters that feature them. Many of the individuals featured herein function as villains, but not all. Some of them work equally well as contacts, allies, minions, or supporting characters, folks the heroes meet over the course of their adventures who provide aid or information. The Star Wars universe is filled with interesting individuals, good, bad, and neutral, and where these generic characters fall on that spectrum is up to you. Most of the generic characters in this chapter are not associated with a Species. The omission is intentional; to make this book useful in as many situations as possible, no Species is defined so that (For instance) a Soldier can be a Soldier whether you're running games set in The Old Republic Era, The Rise of the Empire Era, or during The Legacy Era. To make full use of these statistics, you might want to determine a Species. This decision isn't always necessary, though, especially for minor encounters, since the traits of a character's Species might not come into play. However, for combat encounters, it's best to select a Species and adapt the statistics block as necessary. The easiest way is to just use the Human Species, since it can also represent a whole host of Near-Humans, and then give the character one extra Trained Skill and a bonus Feat. For the Trained Skill, select from the Class Skills available to the character's first listed class. For other Species, be sure to account for how Ability modifiers affect the statistics- Ability Score penalties might prevent certain Feat selections, while bonuses could result in improved Defenses, higher Skill modifiers, and perhaps even extra Force Powers. Also, every generic character uses Medium as its size, by default; if the Species you select for a character is bigger or smaller than Medium, be sure to apply size modifiers when appropriate. Some entries also include statistics for unique, named characters. These characters, drawn from the films and the Expanded Universe, demonstrate specific examples of the archetypes in the setting, while also providing ready-to-use villains and support characters straight out of the book. Even if a character is not present in the Era of Play you're using, you can change the character's name and background, and you'll have a new and compelling character to use as an adversary or ally for the heroes. Creatures Main Article: Creatures The galaxy is a dynamic place. infinitely vast and teeming with life. The countless species that populate the myriad of worlds form the very basis of The Living Force, which is the invisible energy field that binds all things together into a unified whole In our daily lives, it is often easy to forget that the galaxy's sentient Species make up only a small portion of its population. The vast majority of life forms in the galaxy are nonsentient, and these include the flora and fauna that make each planetary system unique. As the spacefaring Species have continued to traverse the stars, they have taken their own animals and beasts with them. Pets, beasts of burden, and livestock of all types have plied the space lanes alongside their masters at one time or another As a result, a number of species are ubiquitous to the average galactic citizen. Banthas, for example, can be found on nearly every civilized world. Pests such as Womp Rats and Mynocks have also spread across the stars, stowing away in cargo holds or latching onto Starship hulls. Yet even the ready placement of these familiar species cannot completely overshadow the sheer oddity of the unknown. For every species we are familiar with, there are a million more throughout the galaxy that we have never seen, which await discovery. It is these unknown elements that make the galaxy a rich and exotic place, a place where surprises are a daily occurrence, and where new challenges wait at the end of each Hyperspace jump. Though heroes in the Star Wars universe often face enemies that look and act much as they do, it is sometimes more challenging for them to be opposed by primal creatures that inhabit the galaxy's jungles, deserts, and wastelands. Driven by instinct and largely neutral in temperament, these creatures aren't concerned with factions or political affiliations. Rebel or Imperial? Jedi or Sith? What does a Rancor care? More than likely, it is concerned only with who is the hunter, and who is the hunted. Droids Main Article: Droids This chapter features a small sample of the many thousands of models of Droids in use across the galaxy. There is at least one model of Droid made for nearly every imaginable purpose, from loading standardized cargo containers onto Starships to picking honey melons on The Forest Moon of Endor. However, because of both cost and convenience, all across the galaxy Droids are used for tasks different from those they are programmed for. A surplus Battle Droid might work as a bouncer in a tavern, and a fruit-picking Droid might be used for scrubbing floors in a hotel. Because Droids are programmed to serve their owners, even Droids that perform entirely unsuitable occupations usually do the best that they can manage, but problems and complications can arise. Many of the Droids described here come equipped with tools that can be used as powerful weapons. However, only 4th-Degree Droids can freely use weapons on sentient living beings. Other Droids possess behavioral inhibitors that prevent such attacks. Droids that have Heuristic Processors can sometimes find ways around these limits, but generally can do so only in extreme circumstances, such as using violence to prevent mass murder or to stop a potentially lethal attack on their owner. The only consistent way to avoid these limitations is to reprogram the Droid with programming from a 4th-Degree Droid, which requires a DC 35 Use Computer check if the Droid was not originally designed to be 4th-Degree. Characters who have sufficient funds are free to purchase any of these Droids that they can both afford and find a way to buy, and will undoubtedly run across many others in the course of their adventures. In addition. some of these Droids can be played as characters. Playing one of these Droids follows the standard rules of Droid Heroes.__NOEDITSECTION__ __NEWSECTIONLINK__